This application requests support for the establishment of an Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigative Laboratory. The long term objectives of this project are to develop the animal resources program of excellence in diagnostic service, disease research and professional training and ultimately to advance the science of laboratory animal and comparative medicine. Specific aims of this grant are: (1) to provide diagnostic services and to implement an improved animal quality assurance and preventive medicine program to safeguard the validity and integrity of animal experimentation; (2) to develop new knowledge on the competent diagnosis and effective prevention of major spontaneously occurring animal diseases by using monoclonal antibodies technology; (3) to identify and characterize some laboratory animal diseases (naturally or experimentally induced) that will serve as useful and applicable animal models of human diseases; (4) to study the natural history, epidemiology, pathogenesis, research complications, diagnosis and control of laboratory animal diseases, and (5) to develop training and educational resources for the training of veterinarians in laboratory animal medicine, comparative medicine and pathology, and graduate students in health sciences, as well as other biomedical research technicians. The scientific disciplines involved in the comparative medicine program include viroserology with the use of monoclonal antibodies against major murine viruses, clinical chemistry, hematology, microbiology, parasitology, veterinary pathology, oncology and epidemiology. Methodology includes laboratory animal health, genetics and environmental monitoring. This diagnostic laboratory will support research programs at the University of Maryland, Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Baltimore Cancer Research Center, V.A. Medical Centers, UMBC Johns Hopkins Oncology Center and Gerontology Center.